- Covered In His Dust
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- Acts Chapter 4
Good morning! ☀️
"When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so they would never be out of his sight, never be someplace where they couldn’t hear him speak. They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust."
May you be covered in His dust.
If this is your first time getting Covered in His Dust, WELCOME!
👉🏽 Read Chapter 4 before reading my notes. If you don’t, my notes won’t make sense.
You can access my previous notes on Acts and Luke by signing into your account. Click 'Read Online' at the top right of this post and scroll down to find them waiting for you.
I’ve broken down the books of Hebrews, James, Luke and now Acts. As I research and dive deep into the scriptures, the book I’m studying becomes my new favorite.
Man, I LOVE the Book of Acts! As in,
I
just
want
to
soak
in
it!
We have a lot to cover, let’s go!
Chapter Four seemed pretty straightforward when I read it the first time, but as I meditated on it, it deepened.
Chapter Four is a continuation of Chapter Three, where Jesus healed a lame man through Peter and John.
As a crowd gathered to witness the miracle, Peter addressed them, saying, "It was Jesus, the Author of life, whom you crucified, who healed this man. It was Jesus who fulfilled the ancient prophecies from the Scriptures and is the Lord of all.”
Peter and John’s arrest
During that time, the Romans were in charge of Judea, but they let the Jewish leaders manage religious and social issues, like keeping order and making rules. This gave the Jewish leaders a lot of power over their community's religious and social life.
When Peter and John were arrested, they were probably kept in a guardhouse or a holding area near the temple. This was where they held people temporarily before deciding what to do next, like questioning them or bringing them before the Jewish leaders for a trial.
The captain of the temple, also called the Temple Guard, was the high priest's second-in-command. He led the temple police force and ensured order and security in the temple area.
I had no idea how much power and authority the Jewish leaders had. I always assumed the arrests and incarcerations were done in conjunction with Roman authorities.
The Sadducees were a group of religious leaders in ancient Israel, mostly wealthy and influential. They followed only the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
They carried significant power in religious and political matters and often clashed with Jesus and His followers.
The Religious Elite
Annas was the high priest from AD 6 to 15 when he was removed. Even though he was no longer the high priest, he still had a lot of influence over the Jewish religious leadership and carried significant authority.
(The Romans often removed high priests to prevent any one person from becoming too powerful and potentially causing trouble.)
Caiaphas, Annas' son-in-law, became the high priest after Annas and served during Jesus' ministry. Caiaphas played a key role in Jesus' trial and continued to influence the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council) during the early spread of Christianity.
John and Alexander are mentioned with Annas and Caiaphas, hinting that they were likely part of the high-priestly family or closely connected to them.
The day after their arrest, they were asked,
“By what power or by what name did you do this?”
Peter didn’t hold back. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he proclaimed,
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well.
Peter left no room for being neutral.
Peter then referred to a prophecy from Psalm 118:22.
"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
A cornerstone is crucial in construction because it’s the first stone laid and determines the position of the entire structure. Peter is saying that Jesus is now the foundation of faith and God's work.
And then he drops the mic.
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I love that so much!
Peter makes it clear that being saved from sin is only possible through Jesus. He insists that no one else can offer this salvation and that there is no other name or person who can save us.
People either believed and repented, accepting Jesus as the cornerstone of their faith, or they considered it blasphemy and rejected the message outright. It was a moment that demanded a clear choice.
Why did they perceive them as uneducated?
Peter and John were fishermen, so they came from a working-class background. They spent their days fishing, not studying. This was very different from the scholarly life of the religious leaders.
They probably spoke with a regional accent and used simpler language, unlike the educated leaders who knew all the academic religious terms.
Unlike the disciples of other rabbis, who might have had more refined appearances, Peter and John may have maintained their practical, everyday dress from their fishing days.
The religious leaders knew the Scriptures inside and out, but they loved their power and status. The promised Jewish Messiah was standing right in front of them, and they couldn’t see Him.
For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
Lame from birth, this man was carried and laid at the gate of the temple…
for
forty
years!
Everyone would have recognized him. Many would have given him alms. Most would have thought he was incurable. His healing would have been undeniable.
How many times had the Sadducees and Pharisees walked passed him??? This miracle directly questioned their authority and beliefs, showing how blind and resistant they were to the truth.
The question is…
“Where do I do that in my own life? Where am I so focused on my own desires, status, or comfort that I miss seeing God's work and truth right in front of me?”
It’s a call to humility to make sure that I’m not blinded by my own priorities and that I’m open to recognizing and embracing God’s presence and guidance in my own life.
When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
Then, they lifted their voices in prayer.
In verses 25 and 26, they quoted King David’s prophesy from Psalm 2.
Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed,
(The ‘Anointed’ is capitalized in both Psalm 2 and Acts 4, signifying Jesus the Messiah.)
In verses 28 and 29, they connect the prophecy to Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and even the Jews.
And then…
They prayed. Not for a better position in life, not for health, not for material things, not for safety… They prayed for boldness to speak the word of God.
Aghhhhh. I pray for clarity. I pray the Holy Spirit gives me words. I pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal scripture and to convict me of my sin…
but
I
haven’t
prayed
for
boldness!
I’ve said it so many times. I’ll say it again.
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
When we believe, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is God… IN US.
Believe what?
Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human, who came to earth, died for our sins, and rose from the dead, offering us salvation and eternal life.
Believe that He’s our Lord and Savior.
Believe that He is the only and one true God.
Rabbit hole.
And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Weirdly, living in Guatemala, I love to feel earthquakes. Usually. The massive ones freak me out.
We landed in Guatemala in 2012 and experienced a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, and in 2017, a magnitude 6.9. Those are scary.
In the Bible, earthquakes often happen during important events, showing God’s power and highlighting just how significant those moments are.
Mount Sinai:
"Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly."
The Resurrection of Jesus:
"And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it."
The Crucifixion of Jesus:
"And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.”
The Apostle Paul and Silas in Prison:
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened."
That’s it for today. I want to combine the final scriptures of Chapter 4 with the first scriptures of Chapter 5. Those notes will go out on Tuesday.
I love you,
George
Uncovering Scripture
George Sisneros is a full-time missionary in Guatemala and the founder of Ordinary Missionaries and the El Rosario Christian Academy for Boys.
He’s been married to his wife, Vonda, for 26 years. He’s a father to nine children, five adopted.
George and his family are expanding to Cuba in 2024.